THE RESEARCH

CONTEXT
Writing the Chapter 1 of the Project
Week 4- Research in Education

Research In Education- WK 4
UNDERSTANDING CHAPTER 1- Introduction

•This chapter serves as the gateway

to our research and provides the
context and background needed to
understand the significance of our
study.
CONTAINS FOR RELEVANT IDEAS:

• Topics or subject matter: define and elaborate

using methods and paragraph development life
classification and giving examples
• Purpose of the Research: Why are we conducting this
study, and what do we aim to achieve? The
introduction sets the stage for answering these crucial
questions.
• This chapter provides general explanations of
what the researcher will discuss in this research
CONTAINS FOR RELEVANT IDEAS:

The introductory part contains several

subheadings such as BACKGROUND OF
STUDY, RESEARCH PROBLEM, OBJECTIVE OF
STUDY, SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY, the
Review of Related Literature, Theoretical
Framework and the Conceptual Framework
 FORMULATING THE
BACKGROUND OF THE
STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
STUDY

Research In Education- WK 4
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• The background of your study will provide

context to the information discussed
throughout the research paper.

• Background information may include both

important and relevant studies. This is
particularly important if a study either supports
or refutes your thesis.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• It links introduction to your research topic and

ensures a logical flow of ideas. Thus, it helps
readers understand your reasons for conducting the
study.

• The reader should be able to understand your topic

and its importance. The length and detail of your
background also depend on the degree to which
you need to demonstrate your understanding of the
topic.
How to Write a Background of the Study

•The structure of a background study in a

research paper generally follows a logical
sequence to provide context, justification,
and an understanding of the research
problem.
Here are the steps to effectively write a
background of the study.
• Identify Your Audience:-Determine the level of
expertise of your target audience. Tailor the depth
and complexity of your background information
accordingly.

• Understand the Research Problem:-Define the

research problem or question your study aims to
address. Identify the significance of the problem
within the broader context of the field.
Here are the steps to effectively write a
background of the study.
• Review Existing Literature:-Conduct a
thorough literature review to understand what is
already known in the area. Summarize key findings,
theories, and concepts relevant to your research.

• Include Historical Data:-Integrate

historical data if relevant to the research,
as current issues often trace back to
historical events.
Here are the steps to effectively write a
background of the study.
• Identify Controversies and Gaps:-Note any
controversies or debates within the existing
literature. Identify gaps, limitations, or unanswered
questions that your research can address.

• Select Key Components: Choose the most critical

elements to include in the background based on their
relevance to your research problem. Prioritize
information that helps build a strong foundation for
your study.
Here are the steps to effectively write a
background of the study.
• Craft a Logical Flow:-Organize the background
information in a logical sequence. Start with general
context, move to specific theories and concepts, and
then focus on the specific problem.

• Highlight the Novelty of Your Research:-Clearly

explain the unique aspects or contributions of your
study. Emphasize why your research is different
from or builds upon existing work.
LET’S WRITE YOUR
INTRODUCTION
STATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Research In Education- WK 4
• After you have selected and evaluated the
problem, the next task is to state the problem in
a form amenable to investigation.
• One cannot overemphasize the importance
of a clear statement of the problem

• The statement of the problem varies according to the type of

research. Thus, we consider quantitative and qualitative
research statements separately.
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

• Specifies the variables and the population of

interest.
• The problem statement can be a declarative
e.g“This study investigates the effect of
computer simulations on the science
achievement of middle school students.”
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

• The statement can ask a question about a

relationship between the two (or more)
variables

e.G “What is the relationship between use of computer

simulations and achievement in middle school science?”
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

• Some scholars prefer the question form simply

because it is straightforward and psychologically
seems to orient the researcher to the task at
hand—namely, to find the answer to the
question.
• But either is an acceptable way to present the
research problem.
 THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

• The problem can be further clarified by

operationally defining the variables
involved.

• e.g “What is the effect of a computer-assisted biology

course on performance on the Test of Biological
Concepts of students in an eighth-grade biology class?”
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

• The statement can ask a question about a

relationship between the two (or more)
variables

e.G “What is the relationship between use of computer

simulations and achievement in middle school science?”

Research In Education- WK 4
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• Qualitative researchers also begin with a problem, but they
state it much more broadly than in quantitative research. A
qualitative problem statement or question indicates the
general purpose of the study

• This general topic of interest is sometimes referred to

by qualitative researchers as the focus of inquiry. This
initial broad focus provides the framework but allows
for changes as the study proceeds
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT IN
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• the researcher often does not present the final statement of
the problem—which typically specifies the setting, subjects,
context, and aim of the study—until he or she has collected
at least some data.

• In qualitative research, the statement may be somewhat

general in the beginning, but it will become more focused as
the study proceeds. After exploring the sites, the people, and
the situations, the researcher narrows the options and states
the research problem more specifically Research In Education- WK 4
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Indicate specific concerns related to your research
problem that your study also intends to answer

• They are classified into general and specific

types.
• The general research question is derived from the
main problem of the study. It must contain words
related to quantitative research, such as effects or
relationship.
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Specific research questions are anchored on the general
research question. They are helpful in developing tools for
collecting data, gathering related references, organizing your
paper, and drawing valid conclusions from findings.

• How you write your specific research questions depends on

the type of quantitative research you are doing. However,
they must always include the significant variables in the study
and the subject being analyzed.
Research In Education- WK 4
CONSIDERATIONS IN FORMULATING
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Related to the specific research questions are the
research objectives or the goals that your research
aims to achieve.

• Another important component related to the research

questions and the research problem is the thesis
statement, which serves as a one-sentence summary of
the arguments that you are presenting in your study.
Research In Education- WK 4
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR
DESCRIPTIVE:

• 1. How often do employees use Facebook in one week?

• 2. How many hours do employees spend on Facebook per

week?

• 3. What proportion of Filipino male and female employees

uses Facebook?

Research In Education- WK 4
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR
CORRELATIONAL:

• 1. What is the relationship between the length of the review

and examination scores?

• 2. Is there a relationship between the IQ of a test-taker and

his/her performance in review sessions?

• 3. Is there a relationship between the performance of a test-

taker in a previous examination and the length of review he/she
takes for a new one? Research In Education- WK 4
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR EX POST
FACTO:
• Are information technology education students and vocational education
students digitally literate?

• Using the four components of digital literacy, what can be identified as

the strengths and weaknesses of information technology education
students and vocational education students?

• Is there a difference between the digital literacy scores of information

technology education students and vocational education students?
Research In Education- WK 4
SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR
EXPERIMENTAL/QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL:

• Is there a significant posttest gain on students’

academic performance?

• Is there a difference between the posttest gains

of the control group and treatment group?

• How do students rate their experiences in one-

on-one tutorial sessions?
FORMULATING THE HYPOTHESIS

Research In Education- WK 4
After specifying your research questions, you can
now formulate the hypotheses for your study.

A hypothesis is a statement that defines

the testable relationship you expect to see
from examining the variables in your research

From the hypothesis you can make

statements predicting what will happen
in your research.
Hypothesis formulation is employed when conducting
correlational ex post facto, quasi-experimental, and experimental
studies.

There are two types of hypothesis: the NULL

HYPOTHESIS and the ALTERNATIVE
HYPOTHESIS. The definition of these hypotheses
differ based on the kind of quantitative research in
which they are used.

It should be noted that there are generally no

hypotheses used in descriptive research.
A null hypothesis (H0) states that there is no
relationship between variables. In
correlational studies, a null hypothesis
merely states that this relationship is,
indeed,absent.

In experimental, quasi-experimental, and

ex post facto studies, however, a null
hypothesis states that the independent variable
has no effect on the dependent variable.
ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS (HA) states that
there is a relationship between variables. Similar to the
null hypothesis, alternative hypotheses in correlational
studies merely express the existence of this
relationship.

This statement changes in experimental, quasi-

experimental, and ex post facto studies. In these
studies, an alternative hypothesis states that the
independent variable has an effect on the dependent
variable.
A hypothesis can also state a direction. The direction of a
hypothesis points out if the variables have a negative or
positive relationship with each other

It means that the increase or decrease of the

value of a variable has a relationship with the
increase or decrease of another.
This indicates that the hypothesis must explicitly
suggest either a positive or negative relationship
between the variables. The hypothesis is now referred
to as the directional hypothesis.
On the other hand, if the hypothesis does not specift a
particular direction, it is now called a non-directional
hypothesis

Such a hypothesis merely states that there is a

relationship between two variables. This relationship
is not specified as negative or positive

The hypothesis in this instance it is examined

through a two-tailed test.
 Null Hypothesis Alternative Hypothesis
Research Type Research Title
Directional Non-Directional Directional Non-Directional

The There is no There is no There is a There is a

relationship positive relationship positive relationship
Correlational between a relationship between a relationship between a
person’s weight between a person’s between a person’s
and the length person’s weigth and person’s weight and
of time spent weight and the length of weigth and the length of
watching TV the length of time spent the length of time spend
time spent watching TV. time spent watching TV.
watching TV. watching TV.
Experimental, The effects of Group study Group study Group Group study
quasi- group study on will not will not study will will affect the
experimental, academic improve the affect the improve academic
or ex post performance of academic academic the performance
facto highschool performance performance academic of high school
students. of high of high performanc students.
school school e of high
students. students. school
students.
When formulating your hypothesis,
follow the guidelines below
• Identify the independent and dependent variables in your
study, as they need to be stated in your hypothesis

• Your hypothesis must be falsifiable. This means that your

hypothesis can be proven wrong through experiments or empirical
data

• Your hypothesis must show a relationship between your

variables. Will your independent variable increase, improve,
or decrease with the dependent variable?
WRITING THE RESEARCH TITLE

Research In Education- WK 4
The title summarizes the main idea of the
whole paper and is the most notable part of
the research paper.

it must be written using the fewest possible

words without compromising its clarity and
idea.
The title must also indicate 2 key
informations about the study:

• POPULATION (to whom the study is being

conducted)

• VARIABLES (What is being

studied/measured)
Population
• Refers to those people about whom you wish
to learn something
• It pertains to the entire group that you want
to draw conclusions about

• They are the subject of your study.

Variable-
• A variable is any element or entity which can be
measured for quantity or quality

• When conducting a quantitative study, you are expected to

measure or figure out the relationship between your variables

• You may also manipulate or control these variables,

depending on the kind of research you are conducting
TWO GENERAL TYPES OF VARIABLES ACCORDING TO
THEIR NATURE

• Quantitative variables can be measured numerically.

They are the variables used primarily in quantitative
research

• Qualitative variables are also referred to as categorical

variables. Despite lacking numerical value, these variables
can still be used in quantitative research. They involve
assigning values to specific categories or groups (e.g., blood
type, color).
TYPES OF QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES

• Discrete Variables can be counted. They can only be denoted by

positive whole numbers and are not described in ranges. Some
examples of discrete variables are frequency of behavior and group
sizes

• Continuous variables (also referred to as interval variables) are

measured in ranges and can be denoted by non-whole numbers.
Continuous variables can have positive or negative values. They can
also be expressed as fractions. Temperature is an example of a
continuous variable.
• Ratio variables are a special type of continuous variable.
This type of variable cannot have a negative value. When
the value of a ratio variable is zero, it means that there is
none of that variable. Some examples of ratio variables
are age, height, weight, distance, and test scores.
TYPES OF QUALITATIVE VARIABLES

• Dichotomous variables are those that have only two

distinct categories or values. An example of a
dichotomous variable is the response to a “yes/no”
question.

• Nominal variables, on the other hand, have more than two

categories or values. Some examples of variables are hair
color, marital status, blood type, mode of transportation,
source of income, and citizenship.
• Ordinal variables, meanwhile, are variables that exhibit the
characteristics of both quantitative and quality types. Ordinal
variables have values that can be ranked or ordered.

• Note: These values can be numerical like quantitative

variables. However, they can also be arranged into
specific non-numerical classes like qualitative variables.

• For instance, frequency is described as rare, seldom,

sometimes, almost always, or always; values of ratings
are denoted as A+, A, B+, or B.
TWO GENERAL TYPES OF VARIABLES ACCORDING TO
THEIR PURPOSE/FUNCTION IN THE STUDY

• Dependent variable is a variable examined for

changes. It is also considered to be the presumed
effect in experimental research.

• An independent variable is a variable that is

considered to affect the dependent variable. As
such, it is the presumed cause of experimental
research
An independent variable is the variable that the
researcher manipulates to see whether it causes
changes in the dependent variable.

Research In Education- WK 4
TWO GENERAL TYPES OF VARIABLES ACCORDING TO
THEIR PURPOSE/FUNCTION IN THE STUDY

• Extraneous variable which is any variable not

categorized as a dependent or independent variable
in a study.

• It is an undesired variable that can influence the

results of an experiment. By knowing the
extraneous variables, you will be able to lessen
their adverse effects on your study.
• This means that the confounding variable may
have a relationship with the dependent variable
and not the independent variable.

• This means that the confounding variable may

have a relationship with the dependent variable
and not the independent variable.
Research In Education- WK 4
 EXAMPL
E:
• Let us give an example to better differentiate the types of
variables based on their purpose. You are conducting a study
on the effects of using Microsoft Word on the writing
performance of students.

• The independent variable is the use of Microsoft

Word, while the dependent variable is the
student’s writing performance.
Research In Education- WK 4
One possible extraneous variable in this study is the
time and venue of writing. Conducting the test in a
non-air-conditioned room may negatively affect the
students’ writing performance.

• If this variable is not controlled, it may become the

main factor behind the poor writing performance of
the students, and not the use of Microsoft Word.
Then, it ceases to be an extraneous variable and
becomes a confounding variable.
Research In Education- WK 4
 Example showing the relationship between the
Research problem and the Population/Variables

Main Research Problem: Is there a difference in CAT reading scores

between those who have received 15 minutes per day of individual
word flash drill by upper-grade students and those who have
received no word drill?”
 Example showing the relationship between the
Research problem and the Population/Variables

Main Research Problem: “What is the effect of having

experienced versus not having experienced a preschool program
on the reading achievement of first graders?”
 Example showing the relationship between the
Research problem and the Population/Variables

Main Research Problem: “Do 18-year-old drivers who have had

high school driver education have a lower accident rate than
18-year-old drivers who have not had high school driver
education?”
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING YOUR RESEARCH TITLE:

• Avoid an overly general title such as “Exercise

and Weight.”

• Refrain from using abbreviations unless they are

commonly known
• Avoid using phrases such as “A Study of...” and “An
Investigation of...” as they show wordiness. An example of this
is “A Study on the Effects of Violent Video Programs on the
Students’ Academic Performance.”
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING YOUR RESEARCH TITLE:

• Indicate the subject and scope of the study by specifying

your dependent and independent variables.

• As much as possible, refrain from indicating the year the

study has been conducted. An example of this is
“Examining the Study Habits of High School Students at
Paco Public School during School Year 2015-2016.”
However, there are exceptions to this rule, such as in a
historical study. In this kind of research, the year covered
by the study may be included in the title
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING YOUR RESEARCH TITLE:

• Employ either the declarative or question form in

formulating your title, but take note that the
question form is used less frequently in research.

• Use the current acceptable terminology in

your field of study when writing your
research title
 Learning Task (BY Group):
• Formulate your Group Research Concept
showcasing/highlighting the Following:
• Proposed Title (showing study variables and
population)
• Research Problem (embodied in the
Introduction/rationale),
• Statement of the Problem (General to particular)
• Hypothesis. (Null and Alternative)